ACC95: Microsoft Access Can't Start the Data Access Object

ID: Q141294

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Access 7.0

SYMPTOMS

Novice: Requires knowledge of the user interface on single-user computers.

When you start Microsoft Access version 7.0, you may receive the following error message:

Microsoft Access can't start the data access object (DAO) and so it can't continue.

You may also receive the following error message:

A system error occurred, or there isn't enough free memory to start Microsoft Access. Close unneeded programs and try again.

CAUSE

You have mismatched dynamic-link library (.dll) files for the versions of Microsoft Office and Microsoft Access installed on your computer.

RESOLUTION

To resolve the mismatched .dll files, do one of the following:

Use the Regsvr32.exe file to reregister the .dll files.

Uninstall and reinstall Microsoft Access 7.0.

Using the Regsvr32.exe File to Reregister Your .dll Files

Regsvr32.exe is an application that is used to register dynamic-link libraries (DLLs) and ActiveX controls in the Microsoft Windows 95 and Microsoft Windows NT registries. You can use this file to eliminate the issue of mismatched .dll files.

To reregister your .dll files using Regsvr32.exe do the following:

Verify that the Regsvr32.exe file is in your Windows\System folder.

Click the Start button, and then click Run.

In the Open box, type the following:
```
      Regsvr32 c:\progra~1\common~1\micros~1\dao\dao3032.dll 
```
NOTE: An alternative method of registering DLLs is to use Windows Explorer to find the DLL; then, double-click it, in the Open With Box select Regsvr32.exe, and click OK. This creates a permanent association of all DLLs with Regsvr32.exe. You can easily register other unregistered DLLs by double-clicking them.

For information about how to obtain this file, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q161983 ACC: Regsvr32.exe Available on MSL

Completely Uninstalling and Reinstalling Microsoft Access 7.0

To uninstall and reinstall Microsoft Access, do the following:

Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs.

In the Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box, click to select Microsoft Access 7.0, and then click Add/Remove.

Follow the instructions to remove all of Microsoft Access 7.0.

NOTE: If you have installed Microsoft Access as a part of Microsoft Office 95, you will need to remove Microsoft Office 95 completely, not just the Microsoft Access component, to solve the problem.

Start Windows Explorer. On the View menu, click Options and make sure the Show All Files option box is selected.

Verify that the following files have been removed from your computer.

For Microsoft Windows 95 and Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, the default paths and files are as follows:


    Folder Location                                    File Name
    --------------------------------------------------------------

    \Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\DAO   DAO3032.DLL
    \Windows\System                                    MSJETSQL.TLB
    \Windows\System                                    MSJINT32.DLL
    \Windows\System                                    MSJT3032.DLL
    \Windows\System                                    MSJTER32.DLL
    \Windows\System                                    MSRD2X32.DLL
    \Windows\System                                    MSWNG300.DLL
    \Windows\System                                    VAEN232.DLL
    \Windows\System                                    VBA232.DLL
    \Windows\System                                    VBAJET32.DLL
    \Windows\System                                    VBAR2232.DLL
    \Windows\System                                    VEN2232.OLB

NOTE: If you install Windows NT 4.0 on a computer that previously had Windows NT 3.51, the files will appear in the WINNT\System32 folder.

For Microsoft Windows NT 3.51, the paths and files are as follows:


    Folder Location                                     File Name
    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    \WINNT35\MSAPPS\ DAO                                DAO3032.DLL
    \WINNT35\SYSTEM32                                   MSJETSQL.TLB
    \WINNT35\SYSTEM32                                   MSJINT32.DLL
    \WINNT35\SYSTEM32                                   MSJT3032.DLL
    \WINNT35\SYSTEM32                                   MSJTER32.DLL
    \WINNT35\SYSTEM32                                   MSRD2X32.DLL
    \WINNT35\SYSTEM32                                   MSWNG300.DLL
    \WINNT35\SYSTEM32                                   VAEN232.DLL
    \WINNT35\SYSTEM32                                   VBA232.DLL
    \WINNT35\SYSTEM32                                   VBAJET32.DLL
    \WINNT35\SYSTEM32                                   VBAR2232.DLL
    \WINNT35\SYSTEM32                                   VEN2232.OLB

NOTE: If any of these files have not been removed, you should delete them from your computer.

Remove the DAO folder from your hard disk.

Reinstall Microsoft Access 7.0. To do so, follow these steps:
1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs.
3. In the Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box, click Install.
4. Follow the instructions to install Microsoft Access 7.0 on your computer.

Start Microsoft Access 7.0. If you again receive the error message listed in the "Symptoms" section, reset the Windows Registry settings for Microsoft Access 7.0. To do so, follow these steps:
1. In Windows 95, click the Start button, and then click Run. (Or in Windows NT 3.51, click Run on the File menu in Program Manager or File Manager.)
2. Type a command to run the Microsoft Access Setup program using the /y switch, for example:
```
          a:\setup /y 
```
3. In the Installation Maintenance Program box, click Reinstall. The Setup program updates the Windows Registry for Microsoft Access 7.0.
4. When Setup is finished, try to start Microsoft Access 7.0 again.

Additional query words: database wizards fail stop create


Keywords          : kberrmsg kbsetup StpErr 
Version           : 7.0
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: April 13, 1999